Have you ever been tempted to try accomplishing more by taking on more work –and, inevitably, more stress? It's all too easy to trade long-term needs like good sleep, eating well and exercise for short-term gains in productivity.
The path to good health might seem like an uphill climb, but what if it could be simpler? Now that the shine has faded from your New Year’s resolutions and it’s time to just live life, will you continue to challenge yourself to make a few changes? Will you keep going strong with the changes you’ve already made?
Your body is designed to work a certain way, but you have to take care of the obvious needs in order to be fully healthy. Here are a few ways we forget to do that.
Every day, you fuel your body with food. If you put in low-quality fuel, your body won’t perform as well. That doesn’t mean you need to constantly eat kale. Food is meant to be enjoyed, and if you enjoy kale, well good for you!
Has your phone ever just crashed? It’s likely because it hadn’t been turned off in a while or it needed to recharge. Your body is similar. “Sleeping less than 7 hours per night is linked to increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and poor mental health, as well as early death,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Exercising is an important part of keeping your body working well physically, and it can also improve your mood. Try a class if you need some positive peer pressure, or just set a goal to run a mile today.
Our bodies aren’t designed to handle constant high levels of stress. God designed our bodies with limits, and when we try to ignore them, they don’t function well. Our limits are a tangible reminder that we cannot do it all. We need help from a limitless God.
If you want to do great things and live up to your potential, make sure you are taking care of your body and living within healthy limits.
To read more about how our health and our spirituality are related, read our series “10 Principles of Healthy Living.”
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